The question many people ask is: "How do I choose a chiropractor?" Visits to chiropractors may be for various reasons including neck pain, low back pain, headaches, sciatica, hip pain, shoulder pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. However, you may not know what to look for when deciding which chiropractor to see. This article reviews some important considerations when trying to find a chiropractor.
What is chiropractic and will it help me? First, chiropractic is a health profession that understands that pain and poor health are the result of some underlying cause within the body which must first be found and corrected before pain can be relieved and health restored. Chiropractors especially look to possible misalignments and improper movements of the spine causing pinched or irritated nerves as the source of many complaints. Chiropractic has special techniques and treatment for locating and correcting abnormal nerve irritation safely and naturally without the use of drugs, medication or surgery.
Be specific about your condition. Next, be specific as to why you want to go to the chiropractor. Are you suffering from neck pain, lower back pain, headaches, sciatica, hip pain, shoulder pain or carpal tunnel syndrome? If so, see if the chiropractor has written any articles on these topics that may be found on internet article sites such as EzineArticles.com. Also many chiropractors produce videos discussing prevention and relief of many health-related conditions. These might be found on the chiropractor's web site or Youtube.com channels.
Referrals and recommendations. The highest compliment a chiropractor can have is the referral of a family member or friend. In an ideal world a recommendation from a family member or friend is a great starting place to find a good chiropractor. If this is not possible, search the doctor's web site or other internet sites like Google or Yahoo! for reviews and testimonials from his existing patients. If the reviews are positive and the patients have had good results it's likely you will also.
Respect for your time. Have you ever had to wait days or weeks to schedule a visit to a doctor? Or if you are having treatment or therapy, do the sessions last forever? Let's face it, everyone's time is extremely valuable. The health care industry is notorious for not respecting people's time. The good news here is that chiropractors have high marks from their patients regarding convenience of scheduling appointments. Most chiropractors can see you the same day whether it's your first visit or a follow-up visit. Once at the chiropractor's office most visits are professional and thorough but don't take a long time. Many of us chiropractors pride ourselves on having "convenience" practices.
The chiropractor's qualifications. Chiropractors have undergraduate and chiropractic college educations. For instance, the National College of Chiropractic, near Chicago, Illinois, has a five-year program leading to a degree as a Doctor of Chiropractic. These doctoral classes essentially are divided into two halves. The first half includes basic courses all doctors study such as anatomy, chemistry, pathology and physiology. The second half deals with clinical courses like diagnosis, x-ray, physical therapy and spinal correction called "manipulation." In addition, a one-year internship at various clinics and an in-patient hospital-like facility in the Chicago area is required. Many chiropractors choose to go further in their education and become board certified in areas such as neurology, orthopedics, nutrition and other specialties. Check your doctor's background to see if he has this helpful additional training.
Anyone having a health problem may be helped by visiting a chiropractor.
